"All accomplishments are complete, the Myriad Sword Breaking Immortal Diagram is now mine to command!"
Wu Tao stood up and extended his right hand forward. The Myriad Sword Breaking Immortal Diagram, slowly and accurately, floated down from the air and into his grasp.
Feeling the diagram tremble slightly in his hand, exuding a vibrant spiritual energy, Wu Tao couldn't help but burst into laughter.
Once all the restrictions within the Myriad Sword Breaking Immortal Diagram were refined, this top-tier sword dao magical treasure would be able to unleash its full power under Wu Tao's command.
As Wu Tao's divine sense stirred, a massive scroll unfurled above the cave dwelling, showcasing its sharp brilliance.
Where the scroll passed, dense sword qi swirled, raising a fearsome storm of sword energy. Anything that stood in its path, be it wind, or even the intangible air, was utterly annihilated. Wu Tao gazed upwards, watching the terrifying might of the Myriad Sword Breaking Immortal Diagram, his joy and pride manifesting as a smile.
"Conceal!"
With another bellow, the Myriad Sword Breaking Immortal Diagram responded and transformed. The terrifying sword qi storm vanished, and the diagram returned to its previous form.
"Receive!"
Standing in place, Wu Tao made a beckoning gesture, and the Myriad Sword Breaking Immortal Diagram returned, settling into his hand. The Myriad Sword Breaking Immortal Diagram Wu Tao held was no longer ordinary in appearance. Its aura was so strong, so sharp, so formidable, it seemed capable of piercing through heaven and earth.
Next, it was time for the Southern Vermilion Bird Banner that Wu Tao had obtained in the ancient sword cultivator's cave dwelling. He patted his storage bag with his right hand, and a red banner, about a foot in size, appeared in his palm. The banner pole was purple, and the flag itself was a deep crimson, enveloped in a sheer, gauze-like layer of faint flames. Through this layer of fire, the deep crimson flag appeared as if condensed from flames, flowing and undulating, exuding a profound and mysterious aura.
Wu Tao planted the Southern Vermilion Bird Banner into the ground and infused a large amount of spiritual energy into it. As the spiritual energy continued to flow in, the deep crimson flag expanded rapidly, growing dozens of feet wide. The flames within the Southern Vermilion Bird Banner became increasingly dense, coiling around it as if possessing sentience. Following this, fine cracks began to appear on several of the restrictions within the Southern Vermilion Bird Banner, as if they were about to shatter under the excessive spiritual energy, clearly indicating it was far inferior to the Myriad Sword Breaking Immortal Diagram.
A long cry suddenly echoed through the cave dwelling. It sounded like the cry of a phoenix, yet also like a bird's call, like the song of a peacock, and even like the chirping of a bluebird. In an instant, it was as if the entire world had lost its luster. All light and radiance converged at the center of the Southern Vermilion Bird Banner, where a fiery red divine bird was taking shape. Clad in flames that never extinguished, its wings spread, manifesting ten thousand fires – it was the Southern Divine Beast, the Vermilion Bird. With a chicken's head, a swallow's beak, a serpent's neck, and long tail feathers that swayed in the wind, every movement exuded an arrogant aura of disdain for the world, its power fully displayed. The Southern Vermilion Bird Banner was also a top-tier magical treasure. Although not as formidable as the Myriad Sword Breaking Immortal Diagram, it was not particularly inferior.
Glancing at the time and seeing that there was still some time left, Wu Tao began to study the fragments of spiritual treasure he had previously obtained. After infusing all his spiritual energy into the spiritual treasure fragments, they finally began to change. Several colossal figures appeared outside the spiritual treasure fragments, projections of immensely powerful beings within a chaotic world…
This… it was as if a snippet from the ancient era was being projected here through the spiritual treasure fragments. This snippet depicted the battle of several powerful existences… and their battleground surrounded them. The projections of these beings were tens of thousands of feet tall. They were clashing, tearing apart the sky and the earth, destroying everything they could. Punch after punch, they fought, causing the heavens to collapse and the earth to crack, seas to dry up and rocks to decay. Various spiritual treasures flew about, and different forms of elemental power collided… This was a grand battle between the strong. This fragment of a spiritual treasure was produced when one of these powerful beings shattered another spiritual treasure with a single blow.
"A piece of history is hidden within… the secrets of the ancient era…" Wu Tao trembled with excitement upon realizing this. This was a very important secret. Spending a considerable amount of time deciphering the mysteries within these treasures, Wu Tao had completely forgotten about Nangong Xue and her daughter, Nangong Yu.
A month later, Nangong Xue, sensing something was amiss, proactively pushed open the door to Wu Tao's room.
One day. Wu Tao, having emerged from his seclusion, returned to his room and was stunned. He looked at Nangong Xue, who was half-reclining on the bed. Nearly thirty years old, she looked like a beauty in her early twenties. Her raven-black hair was disheveled, her skin as fair as snow, incomparably soft and alluring. Seeing this, Wu Tao not only felt no surprise but frowned. However, the next moment, as if remembering something, he calculated with his fingers and realized he had been in seclusion for over half a month. This meant he had neglected Nangong Xue and Nangong Yu, mother and daughter, for over half a month. He then considered that Nangong Xue might think he was someone who grew tired of new things easily. Given this unfavorable speculation, it was not impossible that she had done such a thing for her own and her daughter's standing in his heart. This was actually not a trivial matter, but a question of trust.
The issue of trust was quite complex. It was almost impossible for a person to go from initial distrust to trust, then back to distrust, and finally regain trust.
"Immortal Master, you… you heartless wretch… why do you torment me so…" Before Wu Tao could speak, Nangong Xue threw herself into his arms, burying her head and crying, her small fists beating against Wu Tao's chest… Wu Tao had not expected Nangong Xue to react this way after only half a month of seclusion. Seeing her like this, it was as if he were the unfaithful one. Bah, what relationship did he have with her? He was innocent. Besides, it had only been half a month. Sometimes, he would go into seclusion for ten or eight years. What was so strange about this? Wu Tao was thinking from the perspective of a cultivator, trying to understand the thoughts of a mortal woman. It was impossible to bridge that gap immediately.
… After again politely rejecting Nangong Xue, Wu Tao returned to his room and pondered for a long time before finally understanding. Shaking his head, Wu Tao spent more than half of his time in the following days taking care of Nangong Xue and Nangong Yu, this mother and daughter pair.
Nangong Yu had once wondered what kind of man her mother's father would be to make her mother so devoted. Unfortunately, her father had died too early, and Nangong Yu had not experienced much fatherly love. Wu Tao's appearance perfectly compensated for this. Under Wu Tao's careful guidance, in just one month, Nangong Yu had reached the first level of Qi Refining. Although Wu Tao had certain flaws in his personality as a mentor, in other aspects, he was flawless. He possessed profound cultivation, could effortlessly wield various spells and secret arts, and had rich combat experience. In these aspects, he was a good teacher. In his free time, Wu Tao often guided Nangong Yu, clearly and understandably answering the questions she raised. Not to mention Wu Tao's generosity; the pills for advancing spiritual power were never in short supply. Nangong Yu's cultivation speed was countless times faster than Wu Tao's at that time.
A month later, Wu Tao was invited by Lü Yuehua to meet at Xiangsi River. Within the three hundred thousand li of Tongguan City, forty percent of its splendor and beauty was found along this Xiangsi River.
… The Xiangsi River was wide and extremely deep, serving as the mother river for the over one hundred million people living in Tongguan City. The water of the Xiangsi River rippled like the Milky Way in the sky. The houses built along the banks of the Xiangsi River were magnificent and grand, constructed with glazed jade bricks, inhabited by those of high status. As a mega-city capable of supporting over one hundred million people, Tongguan City was divided not only into five major areas – East, West, South, North, and Central – but also planned with various other zones for living. In the northern district, near Happy Lake, was an extremely prosperous area. Countless exquisite houses stood, and streets and alleys crisscrossed, integrating all the glamour of Tongguan City, a place of earthly bliss.
From the pleasure houses by the lake, the sounds of courtesans were incessant, from the front of the lake to the back, it was a land of gentle embraces. Past Happy Lake, the scenery changed… Sitting on a boat on the Xiangsi River, Wu Tao and Lü Yuehua simultaneously let out an exclamation as they passed the City Lord's Mansion. The City Lord's Mansion, protected by the city's grand array, occupied the most advantageous position in the center. … Several large spirit veins converged, forming a scene of a true dragon soaring into the sky, with dense spiritual energy and burgeoning fortune. To ordinary cultivators, it might not be much, but to cultivators like Wu Tao and Lü Yuehua, there were inherent mysteries.
"My father said that when Tongguan City was built, the City Lord's Mansion spared no expense, inviting grand masters of arrays and feng shui to design the current City Lord's Mansion!"
… Wu Tao and Lü Yuehua sailed down the river, admiring the scenery on both banks while chatting and laughing, their affection rapidly growing. During this process, Lü Yuehua also began to explain the City Lord's Mansion to Wu Tao.